The administration admitted to canceling $7.5 billion in clean-energy grants based solely on the political identity of states that voted for Kamala Harris.
The administration admitted in a federal court filing that it terminated over $7.5 billion in clean-energy grants based "solely" on whether states voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. While the administration previously claimed the cuts were intended to reduce waste, government lawyers conceded that the decisions were not based on programmatic, statutory, or cost-reduction factors. Instead, the cuts targeted "Blue States" while preserving many grants in states that supported President Trump. The Energy Department recommended canceling more than 600 Biden-era grants, but the Office of Management and Budget ultimately terminated 284 of them in October 2025. Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Jamie Raskin, criticized the move as a partisan "betrayal" and a "mass partisan retribution." Conversely, the administration maintains that the cuts were not purely political, with a spokesperson clarifying that the filing referred to the timing of the announcement rather than the decisions themselves. The move aligns with a broader effort by the administration to exert greater control over federal spending to align with President Trump's priorities.
Sources
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Trump administration admits it canceled clean-energy grants in states that voted for Kamala Harris
CNN
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July 24, 2026
Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack
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Trump administration admits canceling clean energy grants to Democratic states
The Guardian